4 November 2019
Photo scoopdyga.com
At the end of a testing 22 furlongs-long chase, the AQPS Figuero (Yeats) took flight from the final turn to become the new champion French 4yo Champion chaser in the Prix Maurice Gillois Chase (Gr1). Bred by Thierry Cyprès, he's racing for Jacques Détré, associated with the breeder and the trainer of the horse, François Nicolle.
Figuero beat Kapdam (Kapgarde) by thirty lengths, Thrilling (Network) finishing ten lengths further down the field.
Figuero won the Prix The Fellow - Marquise de Moratalla (Gr3) in his previous outing, and would be unbeaten in five chases if he had finished only fifth in the summer version of this race, the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure Chase (Gr1) won by Goliath of Berlais. He's the first foal out of the AQPS mare Annaland (Holy of Holies), who has since given four other foals including three females by Lord du Sud, Vision d'État and Free Port Lux. A colt, now gelded, by Montmartre was also born in 2017. Annaland was trained but she did not run. Her dam Palmaland (Arnaqueur), herself a daughter of the very good mare Queensland IV (Citheron), dam of the good jumpers Embiez (Lute Antique) and Cumberland (Cyborg), also a winner of the Prix Maurice Gillois.